Watching films in cinema halls is set to get cheaper with the government slashing the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on tickets. The GST comes down to 18% from 28% for tickets exceeding Rs. 100 and has been lowered to 12% from 18% for those up to Rs. 100.The decision …
Read More »Monthly Archives: December 2018
Ganga clean at just 1 out of 39 locations: CPCB
Only one out of 39 locations through which the Ganga flows had clean water in the post-monsoon period this year, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has said in its latest study.As many as 37 of the 41 locations through which the river flows reported moderate to severe water pollution …
Read More »Where milk comes inside paper board
The packaging of milk has largely been a tale dominated by plastic.While pasteurised milk sealed in polyethylene pouches is still the mainstay of the doorstep delivery of milk at most homes across the country, consumers, especially in urban areas, have increasingly warmed to milk in Tetra Pak cartons, which help …
Read More »‘Easing of norms not linked to death in Sentinel Island’
Relaxing the Restricted Area Permit (RAP) for foreigners visiting the Andaman and Nicobar Islands had “nothing to do with the killing of U.S. national John Allen Chau, the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a response in Parliament. The RAP is mandatory for foreign nationals visiting certain areas, including Andaman …
Read More »Govt. eyeing quick fix for farm sector
The defeat in the Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh has made the government go back to the drawing board over the issue of rural distress. Some measures to bolster incomes in the countryside may be announced by the end of the winter session of Parliament. While the …
Read More »‘Finding skilled manpower was the key challenge for Bogibeel project’
A major challenge in the construction of the Bogibeel rail-cum-road bridge — set to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 25 — was finding the required skilled manpower, and convincing the personnel to work in the hostile conditions of Upper Assam.“Getting the required manpower on this project …
Read More »Maharashtra ban cuts plastic use but upsets industry
Six months after Maharashtra imposed its ban on plastics, raising fears of job losses and a sizeable financial impact on local industry, urban bodies in the State have reported reductions in plastic waste of up to 40%, officials said.This even as the State’s Finance Department is still studying the impact …
Read More »Paddy in brine
When the devastating floods in August submerged large tracts of farmland across Kerala, the Pokkali paddy variety, which grows to a height of up to 2 m, survived the rising waters. The GI-tagged Pokkali is a saltwater-tolerant paddy grown in the coastal fields of Alappuzha, Ernakulam and Thrissur districts. Endemic …
Read More »GST cut on 17 items, 6 services
The Goods and Services Tax Council cut rates on 17 items and six types of services during its 31st meeting on Saturday, leaving only one common use item — cement — in the 28% bracket.Cutting rates on cement would have a significant impact on revenues and so the Council decided …
Read More »Biological pollution another worry for city
With garbage piles increasing over the years and more sewage flowing in open canals, the amount of bacteria and fungal microbes in the air is on a steady rise.Since 2010, the Department of Environmental Science in Bengaluru University has been studying the amount of bioaerosols — a term to cumulatively …
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